ANCIENT CHINESE SECRET

The Gua sha treatment remains the most controversial procedure in my office. Really it's not such a big deal but people get worked up over it. I always make sure patients are fully educated before the treating and I even show them videos and pictures of what to expect. With so much drama you may wonder why I use it at all? Well it's because when Gua sha works, the results are nothing short of a miraculous. Gua sha is an ancient healing technique used by many clinicians of traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). In this procedure, a lubricating medium, such as massage oil, is applied to the skin of the area to be treated. A smooth-edged instrument is used by the acupuncturist to apply short or long strokes on the skin, typically in the area of pain or on the back parallel to the spine. This stroking motion creates raised redness (petechiae) or bruising (ecchymosis). Manual therapies like gua sha may be useful for many conditions, but may become essential clinical options particularly for what are called ‘gaps in care’, i.e. when patients cannot or prefer not to take medicines for a problem, or when those medicines fail or are not available.

Gua sha is an ancient healing technique used by many clinicians of traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). In this procedure, a lubricating medium, such as massage oil, is applied to the skin of the area to be treated. A smooth-edged instrument is used by the acupuncturist to apply short or long strokes on the skin, typically in the area of pain or on the back parallel to the spine. This stroking motion creates raised redness (petechiae) or bruising (ecchymosis).Manual therapies like gua sha may be useful for many conditions, but may become essential clinical options particularly for what are called ‘gaps in care’, i.e. when patients cannot or prefer not to take medicines for a problem, or when those medicines fail or are not available.​ It is well known that chronic hepatitis is a difficult condition because of the inflammatory breakdown of the liver over time that can cause illness and even premature death. Medications for the treatment of hepatitis are limited in scope and carry uncomfortable or intolerable side effects. Back in the U.S., at Harvard/Mass General in 2011, Chan et al. described a case where a single gua sha treatment in a patient with active chronic hepatitis B reduced levels of liver enzymes alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST), modulated T-helper Th1/Th2 balance and enhanced HO-1, which they suggest is responsible for the hepatoprotective effect [8]. In this case, and in general, Gua sha may be effective in transiently reducing the inflammatory injury to the liver when chronic hepatitis B moves into the immune active phase indicated by a liver function test. While Chan et al. represents one case, it coincides with both evidence from China and with what is already known about the effect of upregulation of HO-1, and that HO-1 is upregulated from gua sha. Larger trials are needed to establish to what degree and at what dosage/frequency gua sha may be hepatoprotective in patients with active hepatitis. Is it the case that treatment every week or every other week, with other liver sparing dietary cautions, will reduce inflammatory injury to the liver and return a patient to ‘inactive’ status? If the research bears out, gua sha will have an essential role in managing chronic active hepatitis. One could say if it were a drug, establishing this effect would be considered a medical breakthrough.

Dr. Stephen Stokes preforming Gua Sha with a piece of jade.

There are several theories that may explain why this ancient technique works: gua sha increases blood flow (microcirculation) in the soft tissue, potentially stimulates the body’s natural pain-relieving opioid systems, and it may block the pain response pathways so you feel pain relief. Some view gua sha as folk medicine, but the scientific research community may beg to differ! As is the case for most healing modalities in Eastern Medicine, modern science has yet again validated the effectiveness of this ancient technique. I have designed various instruments over the years to help apply gua sha, some are made of medical grade stainless steel and cost several hundreds of dollars but one of the most effective tools is a simple plastic wonton soup spoon that you will find at any Chinese restaurant. If you visit China you will see the locals (outside of the cities) using these spoons for gua sha.

(D) Gua Sha for migraine in inpatient withdrawal therapy of headache due to medication overuse. Schwickert ME1, Saha FJ, Braun M, Dobos GJ. This case provides first evidence that Gua Sha is effective in the treatment of headaches.

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Hello,
my father has problem with sciatica. He said when he stands after some time he has pain. When he lies in bed not.
He tried lots of things but was not successful yet.
I thought of doing a course in guan sha-an and try this on him.
Do you think this is a good idea or do you have another tip for me?
Chris

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